Bezos got confused: why the arrival of the founder of Amazon at the fashion Oscar caused protests

Camera flashes and images of ancient heroes against the background of protest posters and scattered bottles with a characteristic yellow liquid and an image of Jeff Bezos: the famous Met Gala Costume Institute ball nevertheless took place on May 4 in New York despite attempts to disrupt it. The activists protested because of the participation of the billionaire and his wife Lauren Sanchez in the event. Bezos' opponents have accumulated a lot of complaints, from the working conditions in the businessman's company to his cooperation with Donald Trump. For more information about how the traditional world secular event took place, see the Izvestia article.

Who didn't like Jeff Bezos

The Met Gala— the annual charity ball of the Costume Institute, which is called the "Oscar in the Fashion World," has been at the center of a scandal. There is a glossy picture on its path, and beyond it there is an unsightly reality for the upper class: protests and posters calling for a boycott of a pompous charity event. Activists tried to disrupt it because of one participant, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The billionaire and his wife Lauren Sanchez became honorary co-chairs and sponsors of the Met Gala in 2026. The businessman's criticism is related to his family's support for Republican Donald Trump. While Anna Wintour, global editorial director of Vogue, who plays a key role in organizing the event, has repeatedly expressed sympathy for the Democrats.

In addition, the activists' discontent was caused by complaints about the inhumane working conditions at Bezos' enterprises and news about global cuts in the company — all against the background of the obscenely luxurious family life. Why should he, for example, give his bride a space flight with his girlfriends? So the couple donated at least $10 million to the Costume Institute, according to Page Six.

Critics of attempts to buy cultural influence did not limit themselves to posters and left transparent bottles with a characteristic yellow liquid and a sticker with the image of a laughing billionaire at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a reference to a high-profile incident with Amazon drivers: they complained that the management forbade them to go to the toilet during the flight, offering to relieve themselves in bottles. So, according to the company's logic, it is more efficient not to disrupt delivery schedules.

According to media reports, some top stars joined the boycott. For example, Meryl Streep, whose appearance would be appropriate in the light of the premiere of the second part of "The Devil wears Prada" (the prototype of her character is Anna Wintour), missed the ball. According to journalists, Wintour offered the actress to become the co-chairman of the Met Gala, but she refused. The Daily Mail believes that this is due to the choice of sponsors by the organizers. A regular guest and red carpet star, Zendaya co-chaired the charity event last year, but did not attend it in 2026. Officially, it was due to employment, but the media actively discussed the version of a boycott of the Bezos party.

Images of the Met Gala 2026

The activists' attempts, however, made a lot of noise, but they did not lead to results. Lauren Sanchez appeared at the Met Gala in a simple navy blue custom—made Schiaparelli dress. Her husband Jeff Bezos walked past the walkway directly into the room, bypassing the photographers.

This year's exhibition was named "The Art of Costume". The message is to consider the outfit as a full-fledged artistic statement. The abstract dress code, formulated as "Fashion is art," encouraged guests to perceive their own body as a living canvas and create sculptures with it.

Predictably, the ancient world became one of the main motives of the evening. Heidi Klum took the theme literally and, without changing her passion for crazy outfits, appeared as an animated marble statue, an image that was inspired by the Italian sculptures "Christ under the Shroud" by Giuseppe Sanmartino and "Vestal Virgin" by Raphael Monti.

The star of the movie "The Devil wears Prada" Anne Hathaway came out in a Michael Kors dress, which was hand-painted in the manner of ancient Greek vases.

Kim Kardashian has focused on pop art - her sculptural orange bodysuit with pointed breasts was created by Allen Jones.

The highlight was Beyonce's appearance — the singer appeared at the Met Gala for the first time in ten years. For her, designer Olivier Rustin created a sparkling imitation of a skeleton.

Actress Zoey Kravitz turned to the Gothic style and the image of the bride that is fashionable today. She wore a black lace floor-length dress by Saint Laurent. Cara Delevingne also turned out to be on the dark side. She settled on Ralph Lauren: a dress with a closed neck and a transparent back.

Sabrina Carpenter curtsied towards classic cinema: her Dior outfit consisted of silk ribbons, reminiscent of the film footage of the 1954 film Sabrina.

Russian Irina Shayk took to the track in a gemstone top and a low-waisted floor-length skirt.

Rihanna and her husband ASAP Rocky closed the series of the Met Gala catwalk. The singer was wearing a sparkling Maison Margiela couture dress by Glen Martens, and the rapper chose a pink velvet dressing gown from Chanel for the exit.

As a result, due to the external background, the fashion event in a sense acquired a political context, but perhaps because of the too bright spotlight and the glitter of jewelry, the participants of the Met Gala did not seem to notice the problems that ordinary people are worried about these days. It's not hard to be a "god" when you have money.